


Together

by UndeadFae



Category: Inazuma Eleven: Ares no Tenbin
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M, Not Beta Read, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26172265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndeadFae/pseuds/UndeadFae
Summary: Between the newcomer in the team and Kageyama's return, someone needs to be there for Sakuma. He's lucky that Genda is that someone.
Relationships: Genda Koujirou/Sakuma Jirou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Together

**Author's Note:**

> i just wanted something short and nice and also i keep thinking about how Sakuma reacted in the outer code episode to Fudou so here we are

As soon as the meeting was over and they were allowed to leave, Sakuma almost stormed out of the room, not stopping once to speak to them. Genda didn’t hesitate to follow, standing up and running out before Sakuma had even left, just throwing an apologetic glance at their friends as he stepped out.

“Jirou- wait!”

Sakuma didn’t stop right away, picking up his pace for a few steps before he finally allowed Genda to catch up with him. Genda could see his shoulders shaking. He had to do something- and so he took Sakuma's hand, pulling him into the closest locker room for at least a bit of privacy, letting him sit down on the bench as he got comfortable at his side.

For minutes that felt like hours, they simply sat there in silence, Genda refusing to let go of Sakuma's hand, just letting him get comfortable enough.

“Jirou…”

Almost hesitantly, Genda rested a hand on his shoulder. Sakuma just snapped, had him held tightly in his arms before Genda could so much as blink. Then, he quickly returned the hug, gently tracing circles on his back to comfort him. He could feel Sakuma shaking ever so slightly- and he hated it, hated knowing he was in pain.

“… I’m a terrible captain, aren’t I?”

Genda already didn’t like where this was going.

“Don’t say that- don’t even think about it.” He just held him a bit closer, like that would be enough to push away all those doubts. “That guy is wrong- he hasn’t even been in the team for a day, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, alright? He was just trying to get under your skin.”

Sakuma let out a humorless chuckle.

“He was right. I can’t fill in Kidou’s shoes…”

Sakuma still stubbornly refused to believe that he could be anything more than Kidou’s shadow. It was harder to believe otherwise when seeing how big the void he had left behind was. Genda let out a soft sigh, just holding him a bit closer, gently squeezing one of his arms for support.

“Jirou… you’re not Kidou. And that’s fine- no one here expects you to be him. We didn’t pick you as our captain because we thought you would be like Kidou.”

It was the one thing Sakuma couldn’t quite stop struggling with, the one thing always at the back of his mind and always bothering him, whispering empty lies into his ear. He worked hard, harder than anyone would’ve ever asked him to, all to fill in the role of someone that he could never be, all to help his teammates, to keep their team afloat and help it become stronger, even at the cost of his own health.

Genda was almost afraid to wonder if it had really been such a good idea to let him become the captain and carry that burden.

“They would do better with Kidou here rather than me.”

“That’s not true.” He could tell that Sakuma wasn’t believing that. Genda just pulled back, planting his hands on Sakuma's shoulders, looking at him in the eye, completely serious. “I mean it- do you really think we would’ve all agreed on saying that you’re the best one to become our captain if we didn’t believe it? Do you think we would’ve picked you if we thought you weren’t fit for the role?”

Sakuma was silent, looking away, biting his lip. He wanted to deny that, Genda knew even before he could say anything. He still refused to give up. Sakuma deserved better than to wallow in his own misery and self-doubt.

“I… I don’t know…”

“Then I’ll be here to help you until you finally realize it.”

There was no hesitation in Genda's voice, didn’t even think twice before speaking up. Sakuma was at a loss for words, his eye wide as he opened his mouth, still trying to find something, anything that would prove Genda wrong. To Genda's pleasure, as much as he struggled, Sakuma couldn’t come up with anything. Eventually, he just sighed, resting his head against Genda's chest.

“You’re such an idiot…”

Genda just smiled to himself, a hand tracing gentle circles in his back while the other carefully brushed his hair.

“But I’m your idiot, right?”

The soft and quiet chuckle leaving Sakuma's lips didn’t go unnoticed. Genda counted that as a victory.

When Sakuma finally looked up at him, there was a faint, barely noticeable smile on his face. It was an improvement, as small as it was. Genda would love his smile anyways.

“Hey… we’ll get through this together… right?”

“We will.”


End file.
